The 50-Foot-Long, 2,000-Pound Giant Prehistoric Snake, Titanoboa
Titanoboa was a true monster among prehistoric snakes, the size and weight of an extremely elongated school bus. Research has indicated that the giant snake looked like a boa constrictor—hence its name—but hunted like a crocodile. Here are the top nine pieces of trivia about this 50-foot-long, 2,000-pound menace of the Paleocene epoch. Appeared 5 Million Years After the K/T Extinction After the K/T Extinction, an event—probably a massive meteor strike— that wiped out all the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, it took a few million years for terrestrial life to replenish itself. Appearing during the Paleocene epoch, Titanoboa was one of the first plus-size reptiles to reclaim the ecological niches left by dinosaurs and marine reptiles at the end of the Cretaceous period. The mammals of the Paleocene epoch had yet to evolve to giant sizes, which happened 20 million years later. Looked Like a Boa Constrictor but Hunted Like a Crocodile You might assume from its name that the "titanic boa" hunted like a modern-day boa constrictor, wrapping itself around its prey and squeezing until its victim suffocated. Titanoboa, however, probably attacked its prey in more dramatic fashion: slithering close to its blissfully unaware lunch while half-submerged in the water and then, with a sudden leap, snapping its massive jaws around its victim's windpipe. Replaced Gigantophis as the Largest Known Prehistoric Snake For years, the 33-foot-long, thousand-pound gigantophis was hailed as the king of snakes. Then its reputation was eclipsed by the even bigger titanoboa, which predated it by 40 million years. Not that gigantophis was less dangerous than its bigger predecessor; Paleontologists believe that this African snake made a regular meal of the distant elephant ancestor moeritherium. Twice as Long as Today's Longest Snakes Titanoboa was only twice as long and four times as heavy as the modern-day giant anaconda, the largest specimens of which measure 25 feet from head to tail and weigh 500 pounds. Compared to most modern snakes, however, titanoboa was a true behemoth. The average cobra or rattlesnake weighs about 10 pounds and can easily fit into a small suitcase. It is believed that titanoboa wasn't poisonous, like these smaller reptiles. 3 Feet in Diameter at Its Thickest With a snake as long and heavy as titanoboa, the rules of physics and biology don't afford the luxury of evenly spacing that weight along the length of its body. Titanoboa was thicker toward the center of its trunk than it was at either end, reaching a maximum diameter of three feet. Shared Habitat With the Giant Turtle Carbonemys Remains of the one-ton snapping turtle carbonemys were discovered in the same vicinity as the fossils of titanoboa. It's not inconceivable that these giant reptiles mixed it up occasionally, by accident or when they were especially hungry. Lived in a Hot, Humid Climate South America recovered fairly quickly from the plunging global temperatures in the wake of the K/T Extinction, when a giant meteor is believed to have struck the Yucatan, throwing up clouds of dust that obscured the sun and rendered dinosaurs extinct. During the Paleocene epoch, modern-day Peru and Colombia had tropical climates, and cold-blooded reptiles such as titanoboa tended to grow much larger in the high humidity and average temperatures in the '90s. Probably the Color of Algae Unlike some contemporary poisonous snakes, titanoboa wouldn't have benefited from brightly colored markings. The giant snake hunted by sneaking up on its prey. Most of the plus-size reptiles in titanoboa's habitat were algae-colored and difficult to see against the landscape, making it easier to find dinner. Life-Size Model Once Displayed in Grand Central Station In March 2012, the Smithsonian Institution installed a 48-foot-long model of titanoboa in New York's Grand Central Station during evening rush hour. A museum spokesman told the Huffington Post that the exhibit was meant to "scare the hell out of people"—and to call their attention to an upcoming Smithsonian TV special, "Titanoboa: Monster Snake." First Appearance … Titanoboa made its appearance during the Paleocene epoch and was one of the first large reptiles to reclaim ecological niches that appeared after dinosaurs and marine reptiles died off at the end of the Cretaceous period. Those animals vanished after the K/T Extinction event -- or the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction Event -- some 65 million years ago. What’s in a name? … Because of its name, it’s easy to imagine that Titanoboa -- or “titanic boa” behaved like today’s boa constrictor .. wrapping itself around its victim, then squeezing until its prey suffocates. More likely, the big snake stayed half-submerged in water, slithering close to its unaware victim. Then it would dramatically leap and clamp its huge jaws around the windpipe of its prey. You wouldn’t think of a boa constrictor hunting prey like a crocodile! The Rightful King -- Gigantophis was a 33-foot long snake that weighed a thousand pounds, and was widely hailed as the king of snakes. But along slithers Titanoboa, weighing in at more than a ton and stretching more than 40 feet long! And adding insult to injury, Titanoboa showed up some 40 million years earlier. Size Matters -- Titanoboa truly was titanic compared to many of today’s snakes around twice as long as today’s longest snakes. But today’s Giant Anaconda has nothing to be ashamed about. Larger specimens have have weighed around 500 pounds and measured 25 feet head to tail. Good luck trying to get shove that into carry on luggage! Fight Club … Along with a gigantic snake, it seems that South America during the early Paleocene was home to a giant snapping turtle as well. Remains of the one-ton snapping turtle Carbonemys have been located in the same area as fossils of Titanoboa. Some experts think there’s a chance these two giant animals might have clashed from time to time. That would make for a great fight card … Who do you think would win? Undercover -- Many of today’s venomous snakes have brightly colored markings, or distinct patterns. But Titanoboa and many other reptiles in its environment had no such markings. Any noticeable color or pattern could have served to warn prey of the snake’s presence … And this animal obtained its food by sneaking up on its prey. NYC Snake -- Did you know a Titanoboa was actually spotted at Grand Central Station in New York City. In 2012 the Smithsonian Institution had a 48-foot-long model of the beast installed in the busy rail terminal. A museum spokesman claimed the exhibit was there to “scare the hell out of people”. It also may have had something to do with the Smithsonian Tv special called, “Titanoboa: Monster Snake”. Fossil Factory -- Since 2004, the fossils of 28 Titanoboa snakes were discovered in Cerrejon, Columbia’s biggest mining operation and one of the largest open pit mines in the world. Why were so many Titanoboa fossils found in this region? It’s believed that warm tropical climates were a big reason for their enormous size. Snakes require warmer temperatures to charge their metabolism. It’s believed that the warm climate allowed cold-blooded creatures to grow to such immense sizes. Big as a Bus -- Without competition from the dinosaurs, Titanoboa was the largest predator in the world for some 10 million years. Its enormous size would make you think of something out of a horror movie. To put things in perspective, take a look at this graph from snake-facts.weebly.com … Titanoboa was longer than a 40 foot bus and could lift its tail over 6 feet high, taller than an adult human. How would you like to see that slithering around in your garden?